TIRANA, Oct. 13 /ATA/ – Albania is set to take another step towards European Union membership, as the 10th EU-Albania Intergovernmental Conference in Luxembourg is expected to formalise the provisional closure of negotiations on Chapter 20, “Enterprise and Industrial Policy” on Tuesday.
The move would bring to four the number of negotiation chapters provisionally closed by Albania, as the country presses ahead with its accession process and aims to conclude negotiations by the end of 2027.
Chapter 20 covers enterprise development, industrial policy, business support, innovation and efforts to strengthen the competitiveness of the Albanian economy.
First EU-Albania Intergovernmental Conference
The first EU-Albania Intergovernmental Conference was held on July 19, 2022, formally launching accession negotiations with Albania.
It followed the decision by the EU General Affairs Council on March 25, 2020, to open accession negotiations, endorsed by the European Council on March 26, 2020. On July 18, 2022, the Council approved the negotiating framework for Albania in line with the revised enlargement methodology.
Second Intergovernmental Conference
The second conference took place on October 15, 2024, opening negotiations on Cluster 1, “Fundamentals.”
The cluster covers democratic institutions, public administration reform, Chapter 23 on the judiciary and fundamental rights, and Chapter 24 on justice, freedom and security. It also includes the economic criteria-related chapters on public procurement (Chapter 5), statistics (Chapter 18) and financial control (Chapter 32).
Third Intergovernmental Conference
Held on December 17, 2024, the third conference opened negotiations on Cluster 6, “External Relations”, covering Chapter 30 on external relations and Chapter 31 on foreign, security and defence policy.
Fourth Intergovernmental Conference
The fourth conference, held on April 14, 2025, opened negotiations on Cluster 2, “Internal Market”.
The cluster comprises nine chapters covering the free movement of goods (Chapter 1), freedom of movement for workers (Chapter 2), the right of establishment and freedom to provide services (Chapter 3), free movement of capital (Chapter 4), company law (Chapter 6), intellectual property law (Chapter 7), competition policy (Chapter 8), financial services (Chapter 9), and consumer and health protection (Chapter 28).
Fifth Intergovernmental Conference
The fifth conference was held in Brussels on May 22, 2025, opening negotiations on Cluster 3, “Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth”.
The cluster includes digital transformation and media (Chapter 10), taxation (Chapter 16), economic and monetary policy (Chapter 17), social policy and employment (Chapter 19), enterprise and industrial policy (Chapter 20), science and research (Chapter 25), education and culture (Chapter 26), and the customs union (Chapter 29).
Sixth Intergovernmental Conference
Held on September 16, 2025, the sixth conference opened negotiations on Cluster 4, “Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity”.
The cluster covers transport policy (Chapter 14), energy (Chapter 15), trans-European networks (Chapter 21), and environment and climate change (Chapter 27). These areas are central to the country’s economic development and affect citizens’ daily lives.
Seventh Intergovernmental Conference
At the seventh conference, held on November 17, 2025, Albania opened negotiations on Cluster 5, “Resources, Agriculture and Cohesion”.
The cluster includes agriculture and rural development (Chapter 11), food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy (Chapter 12), fisheries and aquaculture (Chapter 13), regional policy and coordination of structural instruments (Chapter 22), and financial and budgetary provisions (Chapter 33).
This was the last negotiating cluster Albania opened on its path towards EU membership.
Eighth Intergovernmental Conference
Held on May 26, 2026, the eighth conference formally paved the way for Albania to enter the stage of provisionally closing accession negotiations.
The meeting followed a decision by the EU member states’ Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER), confirming that the interim benchmarks for Cluster 1, “Fundamentals”, had been met and setting the closing benchmarks for Chapter 23 on the judiciary and fundamental rights and Chapter 24 on justice, freedom and security.
Ninth Intergovernmental Conference
The ninth conference, held on July 14, 2026, marked another milestone in Albania’s accession process, with the provisional closure of the first three negotiating chapters: Chapter 25, “Science and Research”; Chapter 26, “Education and Culture”; and Chapter 30, “External Relations”.
With the 10th conference scheduled for October 13, 2026, Albania is expected to provisionally close Chapter 20, bringing the total number of provisionally closed chapters to four as it continues towards its target of concluding accession negotiations by the end of 2027.
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